-792- I'm really scared!

"Eva!"

As Edmond and Glendan were arrested, Rozen descended from the deck of Daedalus with the stunned young girl. A tearful voice immediately reached his ears. Yaya, holding Io, had arrived from afar amidst the commotion of the army and police. She leaped over the heads of many soldiers and police officers, landing in front of the square.

Io jumped down from Yaya's arms, rushed towards Eva, and tightly embraced her.

"Sorry... I'm sorry... Eva..."

Io cried with joy and sadness, continuously apologizing while holding Eva tightly, not letting go.

Despite this, Eva still stood there with a blank expression, unmoving and showing no reaction.

However, whether it was a misconception on Rozen's part, he remarked without any basis, "It seems like her face has relaxed a lot..."

Rozen said this with a slight smile.

Perhaps Eva's emotions weren't completely erased, who knows. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is even more uncertain.

If Eva's emotions weren't completely erased, allowing her to clearly remember this incident and know that she was the cause of many troubles, it's unclear whether the puppet girl who looks identical to Io could accept it.

But seeing Io's expression of tears of joy, Rozen knew...

"Everything should be fine."

Staring at Eva's expression, which was still blank but had relaxed a lot, Rozen smiled again.

Just then...

"...Why are you foolishly smiling while looking at a girl's face, Rozen?"

A voice as if coming from the depths of hell sounded behind Rozen, and black mists emanated from his back.

Rozen suddenly felt a chill behind him, quickly turned around, and saw Yaya with a beautiful smile.

Naturally, that smile, though beautiful, was extremely terrifying.

"What do you mean by foolishly smiling at a girl's face? Don't say it so unpleasantly," Rozen subconsciously said, causing Yaya to emit a full sense of resentment.

"It's one thing for Yaya to protect your lover, but you're actually seeking another identical lover outside. Do you really want to play a mother-daughter scenario?"

"What do you mean lover!? What do you mean mother-daughter scenario!? Where did you even see that!?"

"It's because Yaya's eyesight isn't good that Rozen dares to do this behind Yaya's back, right? Hehe... Rozen, really... hehehe..."

"Don't laugh so terrifyingly! I'm really scared!"

Rozen was inexplicably scared by Yaya's jealousy and felt like escaping on the spot. However, Rozen, of course, couldn't escape.

"Are you Rorelai Arneet and Ionela Iliad?"

A military officer with shiny shoulder epaulets, clearly of high rank, responsible for leading the military present, approached Rozen's group.

"On behalf of the British royal family, please come with us. We have been in contact with the academy, learned about the incident, but whether it's true or not needs further investigation. Please cooperate."

The officer said this with seriousness, causing Rozen, Yaya, and even Io to stop their antics, their expressions changing.

"Cooperate?"

Rozen squinted, about to say something when a voice interrupted.

"They will be under our jurisdiction."

A figure draped in a black cloak, wearing a hood, suddenly appeared. No, not just one, several identical figures appeared simultaneously, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.

"You are...!?"

The military officer reacted immediately.

The leading figure responded with a cold tone, "We are members of the Mage's Association. Please inform His Majesty and the parliament that Rorelai Arneet and Ionela Iliad will be interrogated by us."

The other party said this with an unquestionable demeanor.

This made the military officer, with an uncertain expression, speak up.

"While this incident may involve forbidden research, it is still a rebellion against the Empire, and it should be taken over by the Empire. Even the Mage's Association should not interfere in national affairs, right?"

It seems that this military officer is not very willing to compromise.

This made the other party sneer.

"Go back and inform His Majesty. Just say that the allure of 'Absolute Authority' and 'Infinite Chain Reaction' is indeed great, not to mention someone who can summon tens of thousands of troops. It's normal for a ruler to want these things, but some things are not easy to digest. If you don't want to follow in the footsteps of the Black Prince, please put away unnecessary thoughts. Otherwise, the Association cannot guarantee to stand idly by."

Such words changed the expression of the military officer.

Following that, the officer remained silent for a while, responding with a somewhat unpleasant expression.

"I will convey it to His Majesty."

After saying this, the officer turned forcefully, walking away with an angry stride.

Seeing this, Yaya and Io not only didn't breathe a sigh of relief but became even more nervous.

As the saying goes, "out of the frying pan, into the fire." Even if the British side retreated, there were still people from the Mage's Association here.

Compared to regular armies and nations, these people were rather formidable.

Only Rozen, looking at the leader in black, spoke up.

"Alright, Professor Kimberly, the act is convincing enough, don't overdo it."

Rozen said this to the other party.

"...I haven't been acting."

The leader first fell silent, then sighed, lifting the hood to reveal their true face.

Who else could it be other than Kimberly?

"Little Amy?"

Io was stunned.

"Amy?"

Yaya, on the other hand, seemed bewildered by this.

"Don't call me that, Ionela. My current name is Kimberly."

Kimberly spoke coldly, but there was a sense of helplessness in her tone.

It seems that Kimberly and Io not only knew each other but were also quite familiar. But this wasn't surprising. Both were professors at the academy, one in Machinart Engineering and the other in Machinart Physics, authorities in hardware and software, respectively. Not knowing each other would be strange.

The problem was that Io was obviously unaware that Kimberly was a member of the Mage's Association.

So, Io also didn't know why Kimberly appeared here.

"Come with us, Professor Iliad."

Kimberly looked at Io, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"There are many questions from the Association regarding the development of 'Absolute Authority' and 'Infinite Chain Reaction' that we want to investigate with you."

"Don't refuse."

"Otherwise, in this magical world, you might no longer have a place."

Kimberly made this announcement, causing Io's face to freeze on the spot.

"Did it really come to this?"

Rozen also sighed.

This outcome, Rozen had long anticipated.

//// Kinda busy rn so I'll update later today. ////